Does anybody know (or know anybody) much about painting cars?

Winchester

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Clarence, my PT Cruiser, needs to be painted. It's time. He 14 years old now and has been outside all that time. He's red. (Called "Arrest Me Red" by some of the old-timers in town
). And he's got some rust. I know, I know, at this point, he's not even worth the time and expense of a paint job. That being said, I'm simply not ready to give him up and I'm thinking about having him done. If I can get him repainted, I might get another 3-4 years out of him. He's got a new clutch, new tires, and such. I only drive him during the warmer months--drove him yesterday for the first time since sometime in December before we really started getting hammered with the snow. I love the manual tranny. And it was so nice to drive home with the sunroof open and the music blaring. (Hannah, my Tucson, has a panoramic sunroof, but no clutch. And it's just not the same.) I talked to Rick about it and, while he's not crazy about repainting an old car, it's my money and he guesses that if that's what I want to do, well, he's not going to stop me.

My question is: What all is involved in repainting a car and can anybody give me some kind of idea as to how much this may cost? Does anybody know?

Our electrician also paints cars and I've heard he does a great job. I'm going to call him. I was just curious if anybody knew anything about it.
 

Freedom

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Use Google, and search for a DIY forum.  I LOVE forums, and I belong to many.  There is one out there for almost any hobby / interest you have.  And the folks are always willing to share their knowledge.

You can also search for a forum your for car: use make and model.  Then ask on there!
 
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denice

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My ex started doing a little with painting cars before we divorced.  He was a mechanic and loved the old muscle cars so he started doing minor body work and painting.  The painting he did though was with lacquer paint and clear coat with metal flake added so I think it was more involved then a regular paint job.  It would take him 3 or 4 days because of the number of coats but there really isn't anything difficult about it.  I have no idea about cost though, this was years ago and he just paid for material and the rental for a paint booth.
 
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Winchester

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Thanks. You know, I never thought about looking for a PT forum.

I don't need a high end paint job with lacquer and metal flake. I just want him to be sanded down, rust areas repaired, and repainted with the same color he was when I bought him. We need to get rid of the rust or it will continue to get worse.
 
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catapault

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Is there a high school or vocational school near you with an auto shop program? They might be interested in painting Clarence as a teaching experience. Should be O.K. under instructor's supervision.
 
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Winchester

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I never thought of that....thanks! We have a vocational school fairly close to us.
 

white shadow

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Word to the wise: it's corrosion that you don't see which you might want to consider before investing in a paint job......you can bet your life that there is much more hidden rust than what's visible. (And, remember that it's the structural integrity of the car that will protect you in any kind of collision event.)

I'd first be asking an independent, unbiased, technically competent individual (maybe the auto shop teacher) whether/not Clarence has 3-4 years of safe service life left in him.

Last fall, a local garage was quite willing to take the best part of $1000 from me for new brake work.....4 weeks later, though, they deemed the same vehicle to be rusted out and crumbling, despite ol' Bess looking not too bad curbside. Trustworthy fellows, those people.............
 
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Winchester

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I know and I have thought of that. It's what you don't see that will get you every time.
 
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